Romney needs to get small donors hooked

A lawyer in New York said Mr. Romney wouldn’t get his money because he doesn’t see Mr. Romney as a “true conservative.” He also said he is concerned that the ex-governor will “say whatever he needs to get elected and then do whatever he wants” if he wins the White House.

A gas retailer in Topeka, Kan., meanwhile, said her money will “eventually filter down” to Mr. Romney.

“He is a millionaire, why would we give him money?” she told The Times.

She sent $95 last month and $300 over the course of the campaign to Mr. Santorum because she thought he needed cash to compete. But she doesn’t think Mr. Romney, with his personal fortune estimated to be upward of $250 million, needs help.

Of the $86.8 million in campaign contributions Mr. Romney had raised through March, nearly 90 percent came from itemized contributions, which are those that exceed $200.

Less than half of Mr. Santorum’s donations came in chunks of more than $200, while checks exceeding $200 made up a little more than half of the donations for Mr. Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul, who is still in the race.

Fred Malek, a member of Romney’s finance team, said he is aware of the importance of attracting small donors.

“We are going to be up against a machine that’s going to raise and spend a record-breaking amount trying to tear apart Mitt Romney and his record because they have nothing else to run on, and Romney is going to need every single bit of support from donors large and small to compete effectively,” Mr. Malek said.

Ironically, Mr. Romney’s biggest asset in the money chase may be his opponent, Mr. Obama.

“This case is one that you have to defeat the wolf in the sheep’s skin,” said Thomas Rogus of Stephen, Minn.

The small-business owner said that while he is concerned that Mr. Romney could “flip-flop on a lot of issues,” he considers the former Massachusetts governor easily the lesser of two evils when compared with the incumbent.

“That is all it is about, whatever it takes to do this. This is scary. This is really scary,” he said.